1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates in general to clamps for clamping two pipes together in a abutting engagement, and in particular to the clamp that is remotely actuated.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In some installations, pipes have to be disconnected frequently under potentially hazardous conditions. For example, in a plant that manufactures coke, the feed pipe to the bottom lid of a coking drum transmits oil and steam into the coking drum, which through heat and pressure creates coke. The feed pipe has to be disconnected normally on a daily basis to lower the lid for removing the coke. This can be a hazardous operation as the feed pipe may still contain hot material, and steam, dust and other debris may spew out once the disconnection is made.
The connecting joint in the feed pipe is normally a type having abutting flanged hubs. In some installations, the connecting joint uses bolts passing through the flanges, thus has to be disconnected by loosening the bolts with a wrench. This procedure exposes the workers to the heat and debris. Also, it is a time consuming process. Another type of prior art joint uses a hinged clamp. The clamp has three segments which fit around the abutting hubs of the pipes and engage the external flanges. When moved to the closed position, the segments of the clamp pull the hubs together to form the connection. A threaded rod is rotated to open and close the clamp segments. While this clamp type of pipe joint is opened faster than flange bolts, in some installations, workers are exposed to contents of the pipe while opening the clamp.
The clamp type connector has been also used in remote operations wherein a worker will stand behind a wall and extend a long tool through a hole in a wall to engage the threaded rod of the clamp to unscrew it. While this removes the worker from the hazardous area for the initial opening of the clamp, it can be time consuming. Also, workers still need to be present at times to pull the pipes apart from each other.